Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-04-21
JOAQUIN MILLER.
The Great Stanford Estste-Ex-GoverBor
re1 rs Bidwel. =H
Especial Correspondence

The Great Stanford Eststs-Ex-Governor
res BidwelL
Especial Correspondence
RED BLUFFS, Cal. April 6.
As ] am here almost in sight Of the famous
Stanford farm, which Senator Stanford pre-
sented to the state recently as part OF the
endowment Of his great university 1t may be
well to look In upon it.
Forty years ago this land was the property
Of Mr.. Loosen, after whom the snowy
mountain peak to the east of US, Mount Los
sen, was named. But when the gold fever
broke out the old mountaineer seemed to re-
member having seen gold someWhere In the
mountains and could no longer be content on
his splendid land grant. He sold his vast
possessions, worth 81, OOO, 600, for 5000 to a
neighbor and with the money in his pocket
set out In the direction OF Lossen's Butte.
His only companions were his Mexican and
Indian dependents who had lived with him
and served him on the ranch. His mutilated
remains were found few months later and
buried at the base of the mountain which
bears his name But ting fabulous deposits Of
gold which the old trooper claims to have
seen in the mountains have never to this day
been found. He was probably murdered by
some treacherous Indian or Mexican for the
few thousands Of money which he carried
with him.
The land, when it came to Senator STAN
ford. cost q square 81, OOO,0 OO in gold. And
here the great railroad king contemplated
making the model farm Of the earth But
alasi for all the calculations OF mani j
stopped at the mcan and dirty little railroad
station there. called Vina, last year, md wa.
dislnayed at the miserable set Of whisky
dri1Ring toughs that found hanging
about the place Senator Stanford had
made the mistake Of believing too much
in his fellow man; lautlnble mistake, but a
fatal one in great enterprises. He never had
any control of this plague spot right here in
the heart of his model farm. And 50 it is no
better than any of the other gin and poker,
towns of this great valley Of wheat and wine.
But of course the great farm itself is about
perfect. In the first place, nature has dom
all that nature could do. The whole broad
region lay waiting for the pillow. Littl'
mountain trout streams stole down through
tine meadow land under the scattered oak
toward the Sacramento river, and the wiz,
oats, high as a horses back, glistened in the
sun ready for the reaper, even without the
suggestion Of q plow.
In little time the wild oats were turned
over and under. the mountain streams were
led hither and yon in irrigating bitches and
more than twenty square miles were set II
grapesi The great oak trees were left stand
ing, am glad to recoed. For they are only
just abundant enough to afford occasional
resting places for the laborers, or shelter cat
tie from the hot sun when they are In the
felds And they are wide and generous
trees, full Of birds, especially doves, and thei,
broad, green branches are smothered in moss.
1t is strange to see a train Of freight cars
stop here and take on a load of peanuts! In
fact I, an old Californian, am constantly
meeting with just such surprises as this right
along here in my own land. Not long ago
saw a carload Of English walnuts from q little
mining camp, where the only fruit had ever
seen hanging on any Of the trees there were
three men, escaped convicts from Australia,
hanged for murder by mob.
But perhaps the greatest surprise in all this
wondrous valley Of wonders is the famou.
farm of Gen. Bidwell. His little allotment of
land on this earth is 5000 acres! A gooC
and even great man is Bidwell, but this is
serious sin. No man has any sort Of riyht 70
much land. To say that ne makes tue best
possible use Of it and beauties every acre is
hardly an argument in his favor. When I
see any one man monopolize SO much land as
this see some of the good uses of death.
Gen. Bidwen came here in 1S43 He is an
Ohio man, has been in congress from this
state and is universally loved. Strangely
enough, this man told me that he came to
California because a man in Missouri,
whittier he had moved and located on a quar-
ter section Of land, cheated him out Of his
presumption claim of land. Failing to get
100 acres Of land in Missouri he resolved to
get hold Of something substantial in Califor-
mia.
Gen. Bidwell's farm is an empire in itself,
not only in revenue and extent, but in vari-
ETY. Of products. Everything, indeed, from
peanuts up to pears and peaches and apricots
that would make your mouth water, is taken
from here in car loads almo.v daily to the
markets of San Francisco and Sacramento.
Nuts Of all lands, fruits OF all chimes and
kinds, grain Of all sorts-everything that
growsl No king Of old ever had SO much Of
everything as this farmer here in the or eat
valley, JOAQUIN MrIIRR